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MATCH
Match Report
In their last fixture, Verdy returned home after consecutive wins and defeated Renofa Yamaguchi FC with a late winner that earned them a three-match winning streak. On this day, they would aim for four in a row by taking on Avispa Fukuoka, a team vying for top of the table, at Ajinomoto Nishigaoka.
Mere moments after the kickoff, Fukuoka pushed forward with force and pinned Verdy in front of their own goal, but the team kept their shape and defended well to fend them off. Afterward, Verdy began to gradually keep possession for longer periods and also retrieved more of the second ball, both of which enabled them to control the play in opposition territory. By the time of the water break, the team were moving the ball in an ideal fashion and putting pressure on the opposition goal. In the 19th minute, Verdy stretched their opponents in the wide areas and set up Takayuki Fukumura for a cross into the box. The ball reached the head of Shohei Takahashi at the far post, but it was kept out by a good save from the goalkeeper. In the 20th minute, Masashi Wakasa dribbled past his defender just outside the area and hit a fierce left-footed shot that left the keeper rooted to the spot but ultimately cannoned off the post. Following that, the team would give up chances to the opposition on the counterattack but allowed them little space for a finish and refused to concede. When they did win the ball back, Verdy responded with patient buildup play that enabled them to pressure the opposition goal once again. As the first half closed, Verdy found themselves with few opportunities for a true finish, but they had still showed plenty of potential to open the scoring.
Compared to the evenly contested, relatively quiet first half, the second half saw both teams attack the goal with greater aggression and the result was an intense end to end battle. The first chance belonged to Fukuoka. After taking advantage of a Verdy mistake, their players were in on goal and rounded Matheus before hitting a shot that ultimately missed the target. Verdy might have been forgiven had they grown more tentative after this play, but instead they continued to thread passes and push their opponents back once more. In the 58th minute, a flowing move on the left side ended with Yamashita cutting inside for a shot that was only blocked by a desperate lunge from a defender. Three minutes later, a move that began in the wide areas ended with a haphazard clearance in front of goal that went directly to Wakasa, who responded with a right-footed volley. The effort went just wide of the right post. Another three minutes later, Ide hit a floating pass behind the back line and Koike exploited his defender’s blind spot by making a late run. The Verdy man then had a chance for a free header but he was unable to direct the shot on target. Still, Verdy were clearly getting closer and in the 65th minute, they would earn their reward. The manager had just brought on Yuhei Sato for Ide and the decision would pay quick dividends. It was the 66th minute and Sato was immediately given the ball on his first play. He responded by playing a perfectly weighted, looping pass in the direction of Koike, who had made a run into space in front of him. The ball just cleared the head of the last defender and Koike reached it at full speed, controlling the ball with his first touch. Koike then looked up for the briefest of moments and hit a shallow cross that Hanato let run across the face of goal into the path of Yamashita. Finding himself clear of the defense and with plenty of space, Yamashita then made no mistake with a first-time volley that gave Verdy the goal they had been waiting for.
The players responded with joy and seemed to have gained full control of the match, but at this point, their opponents would display the toughness that had seen them climb all the way to the top of the table. It was the 67th minute, mere moments after the opener, and a looping pass found its way into the penalty area where a Verdy defender attempted to clear but inadvertently sent the ball off the chest of a teammate and into the net for an own goal. After this immediate equalizer, Verdy continued to pursue a winner and increased their pressure up top as they took a more direct approach. The opposition, meanwhile, relied mainly on long passes into the final third, but the Verdy defenders did well to win the ball and quickly play it back into dangerous areas for the attack. In the final play of the match, Sato tapped home from a ball that had fallen loose ball after Yuan Matsuhashi collided with the goalkeeper, but the latter was judged to have made a late challenge and the goal was disallowed. In the final telling, Verdy had spent long periods of the match pushing their opponents into their own half but lacked the last bit of precision needed to earn the win.
There are now 6 matches left in the current season and immediately after the final whistle, it was announced that Hideki Nagai would continue as manager next season. This will give the players plenty of motivation to continue building on their strong play and earn results to give themselves renewed hope for the next campaign.
Post-match comments
Manager Hideki Nagai
Your thoughts on the match?
We were playing on holy ground today at Nishigaoka, where the fans and supporters created a wonderful atmosphere for us. We were also playing against a team at the top of the table, in Avispa Fukuoka, and the fact that we got the chance to challenge ourselves against them again at this point in the season gave the players a high level of motivation. The match was largely what we expected. That includes the way they started and the way we changed our plan in the second half. I think the players did a great job of executing that. I wish we had played more of our football in the first half. Our best period was just before the water break and I think our players are capable of playing in that way for longer periods. I know it’s difficult, but in terms of pinning back the opposition and keeping the ball moving until we’re able to find an opening, as well as breaking down teams at the end of moves to set up the finish, I honestly think that we can do better. In the second half, we applied revisions made at half time and the players did very well. I was very happy to see them score a wonderful goal that was just the type of attack that we work on in training, but the thing we have to reflect on today, including in terms of my bench work, is that after we went up 1-0, I think we needed to get control of the ball and settle things down with some patient pass work for a few minutes. It was a very wasteful equalizer that we conceded. Still, I am grateful to the entire squad, including the substitutes, for the way they didn’t give up on the three points and continued challenging themselves util the final whistle. We were very close to winning today and it’s a frustrating result. I know the fans and supporters wanted to see us get the victory, and I would like to thank them for cheering us on until the very end. I wanted to share the joy of a good result with them at Nishigaoka and I am sorry, as well as disappointed, that we could not do that. We have another match coming up right away, so I will work with the players so that they are ready to play good football and take the next step toward complete maturity as a team.
Yamamoto retreated to the bench after the first half and was substituted at the start of the second. Did he pick up an injury at the end of the first half?
Yes.
Sato created the opening goal immediately after taking the pitch. What instructions had you given him?
I told him to create positional advantages and to play the kind of final ball that only he is capable of. That’s what I entrusted him with. Immediately after coming on, he linked up brilliantly with Junki (Koike) in what we call the near zone and played an excellent pass through the defense. I thought the way he created that goal was wonderful.
You mentioned the need to be patient in your passing. Do you think the team as a whole were too aggressive in attack?
That’s one of our lessons from today. We were in the midst of an intense encounter and we got a brilliant goal. When we think about the potential of the 1-0 advantage that gave us, we should have kept possession and made the opposition run. Naturally, our opponents are going to come forward in search of the ball, so that will also give us space behind them through which we can aim to get a second or third goal. I regret that we couldn’t design a more intelligent game plan.
You mentioned that the match was largely what you expected. Do you mean the way Fukuoka adjusted the intensity of their pressing depending on the period of the match?
The first thing was that I put players who can defend from the front on the pitch at the start of the match. We knew they would push forward in the early minutes, so our plan was to locate space behind them. In the second half, we expected them to put in players with more height and try to attack quickly with long balls. Our pre-game analysis comes down to how we can earn and maintain possession. On the other hand, when we do get our analysis right, I expect us to execute our game a bit more.
Do you think the team did well to earn a goal during the period of the second half when they were in control?
It was exactly the kind of goal we hope to achieve, including the way we broke down their defense. Analysis of the numbers had told us that Avispa struggle in games when they concede the opening goal, so the fact that our game design didn’t incorporate ways to take greater advantage of the opener is my biggest regret from today.
FW48Ryoya Yamashita
Your thoughts on the match?
It truly was a tense match for the entire 90 minutes and I really wanted us to get the full three points from that sort of game. I’m very disappointed that we ended with only a point.
You got the start today, but can you tell us what role was expected of you?
Since they press from the front so much, we knew they would have a lot of space at the back. I wanted to continue aiming for those areas and exploit that space. I kept that focus the whole match.
Tell us about your opening goal.
Junki (Koike) received a pass from Yuhei (Sato) in a good location and I just tried not to move too far inside. I positioned myself so that I could get onto the ball if it came at a shallow angle, or if it was played into space between the keeper and the defense. In the end, it was a shallow pass and I’m glad I was able to respond.
What sort of relationship did you establish with Hanato as he took up position at the near post?
Jin (Hanato) always aims for that area and because of that, there is always space open behind him. It’s because of his run that I was able to score.
What was the atmosphere on the pitch when you conceded immediately after scoring the opening goal?
Of course, conceding at that time was poor on our part and I think we have to improve in that aspect as a team. However, I also think it was good that we were able to share the intent to bounce back and get another goal throughout the squad, which enabled us to raise our tempo afterward.
In the final minutes, you went through a period when you were unable to put pressure on the opposition goal. What do you think was needed at those times?
We have to put our stamp on the game, even when teams press us from the front, and if we were able to get three points from these sorts of matches, I think our season would have turned out differently. I want us to build the strength to win games like this.
DF5 Tomohiro Taira
Your thoughts on the match?
We conceded right after scoring the opener. We had played well up to that point, so giving up that goal really hurt.
Tell us about what led to conceding the equalizer.
We should have been focused in defense after taking the lead and even though everyone was aware of that, we still conceded in that way. I’m sure there were things we could have done differently. Even if we see it as an unlucky own goal, we still have to review the video to determine how they were able to push us that far back in the first place. No matter how you look at it, there must have been some weakness we displayed as a team that led to the result.
Yamagishi was able to win many of the long balls played by the opposition. Did you struggle with that?
I think that’s his strong point as a player. He’s very good at winning the ball from long feeds, so they began to play simple passes to him more and more. We needed to challenge harder and we also needed to press back more from central midfield. I regret that.
How did you focus on dealing with Yamagishi after he won the ball?
Before the match, the biggest focus of our discussions was to keep them from turning on the ball after a long pass and to do that, the central midfielders needed to press so that we could sandwich them. However, they were able to play many passes between the lines and build advantages in the first half, so we have to reflect on that as well.
Did you feel like the opposition was aiming to intercept your own direct passes?
They defended by staying tight to players, so when we tried to play the ball to a nearby teammate or use pockets of space, they would follow. It was mostly their holding midfielders who slid in defense, so that allowed space for Jin (Hanato) to get free several times, If we had taken greater advantage of that, I think we could have created more chances.
You had generated good momentum before the water break in the first half. Are you concerned about the water break interrupting things when the game is going your way?
We had been doing a good job of evading their pressure, so the water break gave us a chance to communicate with the bench. We discussed moving the ball across the full width of the pitch and trying to make them run more, so I think the break was good for us too.
MF19 Junki Koike
Your thoughts on the match?
We conceded the goal immediately after scoring the opener, but I wouldn’t say that we all lack concentration after we score or give up a goal. In all the matches we’ve had so far, we’ve always communicated in those situations and I think we were focused today, too. In the end, however, we conceded, so I am quite simply disappointed.
The opposition seemed to adjust the intensity of their pressing according to different periods of the match, but do you still think you were able to play your style for extended periods?
Whenever we crossed the halfway line, there wasn’t much pressure. They would press when we first got the ball, but once we got past that, they would retreat into a block and defend. When we were able to get across the halfway line, I think we were able to play our football for extended periods of time.
Tell us about your assist for the first goal.
In the first half, I moved into wide positions a lot and there were a lot of battles in those areas, but after the substitutions, I thought about how I would link up with Yuhei (Sato) and one way was to let him drift to the outside while I took up position in the middle and aimed to make runs behind or get into the near zone. When I did that the ball came my way. In addition, our scouting report had told us that the opposition line would retreat quickly, so as soon I trapped the ball, Jin (Hanato) called for it at the near post and pulled a defender away, which allowed me to play a good cross at a shallow angle. We’ve been working for a long time on getting into the near zone in that way and it was something that we had failed to do many times in the first half, so I was determined to do so more.
It seemed like most of your attacks were on the left side in the first half.
As we played, the ball just seemed to move to the left more often than not. In the midst of that, I think we could have done things like play it from right to left once and then switch sides again, but it seemed like were finding success on the left, so I prepared to get on the ball. In the first half, I was focused on playing crosses from the left and getting behind the defense. At one point, Shohei (Takahashi) took a dangerous shot on goal, but I actually wanted a touch on the ball before he did so.
Do you think the fact that the team was able to endure the chaotic period after the match went 1-1 and recover is a sign of growth?
Fukuoka had also brought on Juanma around that time and they were attacking in a simpler way with long balls. In the midst of that, we were able to concentrate on winning the second ball and create chances of our own. I think we had opportunities to win. We just needed to finish them.
Compared to your previous 3-1 win against Fukuoka, you actually seemed to perform better today.
We’ve become able to play the kind of football we’ve worked on in every match. We had to settle for a draw today, but if we become able to claim goals when we have the chance, people will begin to rate our football more and we can prove our worth. Our desire is to win all 6 of our remaining matches.
What improvements do you think were needed to win today?
We had chances and while I myself am always looking to make runs, there aren’t many times when I can actually receive the ball. To improve that, I think I need to move in a clear way that is easier for my teammates to spot or increase the number of touches I get on the ball during buildup. If I do that, I think I can be involved in a greater number of chances, so I will focus on that in the future.
However, your frequent runs behind did help force the back line to retreat and open up space for Yamashita to make runs as well.
That was how Yama(shita) got his goal in the Kyoto match. I do feel that the opposition is concerned about the threat from my runs and I know that if I keep making them, it will help lower their back line, so I want to keep looking at that as a positive.
Do you think it’s more important than ever to focus on playing your style of football in the remaining six matches?
In terms of numbers, we’re in a difficult position, but I think we can use the remaining matches to prove to people how far we’ve developed our football this year and the year before last. So regardless of whether we achieve promotion, our intention is to play each and every match with the intent to win.
MF9Yuhei Sato
Your thoughts on the match?
It was a tense match throughout and because we displayed some of our good qualities, I wish we had been able to dominate them more and get the win. Still, I think the fact that we were able to play without relaxing, even as we were on a three-match winning streak, is a sign of our growth.
How did you view the match from the sideline?
We were changing positions a lot as we moved the ball, so I thought that it was important not to allow them chances on the counter. There were times when we did hand them opportunities, but I think we generally did a good job of passing the ball at our own pace. At one point, they played a lot of crosses and we were pushed back, but I think we did a good job of enduring the pressure. The fact that we were able to repel all those chances is evidence of the renewed toughness we’ve displayed during our most recent run of matches.
Just after taking the pitch, you set up the opening goal with a good floated pass. Can you tell us more about that scene?
As long as the manager and Coach Hosaka have us playing this style of football, I will try and use my brain as I play. Even before I took the pitch, the manager had given some suggestions about how I could trouble the opposition and I think the goal was a direct reflection of his ideas. The manager had told me to make full use of the space and I think we did exactly that on that move.
The equalizer you conceded after the opener must have been a disappointment.
It’s difficult for us to look back and identify exactly how that happened. I don’t think it was the fault of any one individual and I also don’t think that we had started to relax at that point. We were a little unfortunate, which isn’t anyone’s fault, and if we had scored again, I think we would have won the match. We had enough time and chances, so I think the fact that we didn’t get the job done shows that we are still lacking.
The opposition adjusted the intensity of their pressing depending on the period of the match. After the score reached 1-1, you seemed to endure their pressure for a long period.
Fukuoka were under mental pressure, as they needed to win in order to earn promotion. On our end, I think we needed to evade their pressing without punting the ball up the pitch, but to do that, I think we need to learn a bit more about how we can build greater numbers in midfield. We can’t allow ourselves to merely absorb the full force of their press.
Compared to your previous 3-1 win against Fukuoka, you actually seemed to perform better today.
Over the course of the 90 minutes, I think there were fewer fluctuations in our play than when we won 3-1. We weren’t in constant control of the ball and we didn’t get two goals in the first half. Instead, we had to play with tension for the entire match and I think that showed in our play. I think that was a sign of growth for us. I hope we can find ways to grow not only when we lose but while winning as well.
What improvements do you think were necessary to earn the win?
The first goal was in ideal fashion for us as a team, but for our other combinations, I think we needed to do more to get all five forward players. or even six players if we include Joel (Fujita), involved in breaking them down. Against a team like today’s who work hard in defense, I feel that we need to enjoy the challenge and break them down in a way that the fans can enjoy too. I feel like our precision is still a bit low in that area. Once again, we don’t have a lot of time to train and will have to do what we can during match play. However, I think that the tension of match play will also help us to grow more and we still have consecutive matches coming up, like the next one against Ryukyu, so either way, we know that matches are our only chance to improve our precision as well. We will work on that as a team.
Do you think it’s more important than ever to focus on playing your style of football in the remaining six matches?
I think we have to bear responsibility for the fact that we are in such a severe position in the table. Right now, the only way to prove our value as a team is to play high-quality football. That will never change and I want us to refocus once more.